1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a steering axle assembly for a motor vehicle, and more particularly, relates to a steer spindle bullet tool used in the steering axle assembly for a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
The steering system of a vehicle has a standard hub assembly and spindle. The spindle hub assembly includes a steer spindle, a hub, a seal, an inner bearing and an outer bearing. During the actually assembly of the steering system the inner and outer bearings have to be precisely placed on the spindle and within the hub unit in order for the seal to properly seal the hub unit.
The assembly of the hub currently involves an operator aligning the hub with the spindle and then gently pushing the assembly on to the spindle end. If the hub is not completely centered about the spindle then the inner and outer bearings will not be properly seated and the only available solution to the inner bearing alignment problem is for the operator to rock, in a side to side motion, the hub until the inner bearing is properly seated. Even then it is not a certainty that the hub has been properly seated on the spindle of the steering column.
The prior art has shown the use of an axle bullet for assembling a drive axle and other such applications, however there has never been a device developed in assembling steer spindles and the associated hub in the steering assembly. The axle bullet is placed within the axle, then the rotor and other parts are slid around the axle bullet such that the rotor is properly seated on the end of the axle.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a device to simplify and insure proper bearing seating for a steer spindle and hub assembly operation.